The Frozen Rose Alchemist
by Sang Alister
Summary: Fullmetal Alchemist and associated characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa Elisabeth Hohenheim, Nate, Mar, and Lisa belong to me. My OC story for Fullmetal Alchemist. Enjoy! :3
1. The Frozen Rose Alchemist part 1

"Hmph. You're weak. Come at me again."

"Yes Eli..." Elisabeth's eyes blazed.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" A boy, probably about 14 years old, flinched away from the 13 year old girl. Elisabeth glared down at him. This was the 4th time she had beat him that week for calling her Elisabeth.

"Sorry, Lis... I forgot... I'm so used to calling you Eli..."

"Whatever, Nate, just get up..." Lis moved away from Nate as he stood. He dusted himself off, looking annoyed.

"Can't you find some better person to spar with? Maybe someone who knows how to fight? Or someone who knows alchemy?" Lis gave him a petrifying look.

"And give up the fun of beating my childhood friend? Not in your life." Nate groaned.

"Fine. Just go easy on me..." Lis laughed.

"Fine, you know what Nate? I'm going to teach you how to fight."  
"What?! Really!? But you said you wouldn't teach anybody how you fight!" Nate gaped at her. Lis rolled her eyes.

"Ya, well, I trust you." Nate blushed.

"You... Trust me?" Lis nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"LIS, COME QUICK! WE NEED YOU!" Lis and Nate turned to look at the girl.

"What is it, Mar?"

"My mom! She's hurt!" Mar looked wild.

"Alright, lead me to her. Nate, stay here, I'll be back!" Mar and Lis took off running in the direction of town. Mar led Lis through the town, to an old cave. In the entrance to the cave, there lay a black haired, dark skinned, brown eyed woman. She was breathing heavily, labored.

"What happened Lisa?"

"I was trying to collect herbs... I slipped from up there and fell to where I am now..." Lisa struggled to sit up, only to get pushed back down by Lis and Mar.

"Let me see what's wrong." Clapping her hands together, Lis rested them gently against Lisa's body, using alchemy to find out what the problem was, as there seemed to be no physical damage. "Shit..." Lisa gave Lis a sharp look. No cursing allowed for those under 18. Town rule. "I... I don't think I can fix it..." Lis looked away. "You're bleeding internally..." Mar and Lisa stared at Lis, looks of terror on their face.

"YOU MEAN I'M GOING TO DIE?!" Lisa barely got the words out before she started coughing violently. Lis stood, backing up a few steps for Mar and Lisa to be close. This wasn't the first time the 13 year old had seen death. As the towns only "doctor", Lis had to do it all. Unfortunately, a lack of supply meant alchemy was the only remedy, but once someone was dying, there was no way to fix it. Lis knew this well. Putting her hand on her left shoulder, she sighed. Another kid watching her mother die. Lis had hoped she'd be the only kid to ever watch their parents die again. That's why she had learned alchemy. A twig snapped behind her and she spun around, ready to fight off anything. Nate put his hands up.

"Easy there tiger! It's just me. I wanted to see what was happening." Lis blinked at him.

"Lisa fell. There's nothing I can do..." Nate's expression turned to horror and then sympathy for his friend.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault... Nobody can ask you to reverse fate." He stepped closer to her, but Lis stepped away.

"But I can't do ANYTHING! What good am I if I can't even help Lisa at all!? I'm supposed to be the doctor, but I can't do anything to help anyone!"

"what are you talking about? I wouldn't be able to walk right now if it weren't for you! Remember when my legs got smashed by the boulders the town was trying to move? That was when we were 8, and you saved my life! If you hadn't repaired the bone, I'd be stuck sitting still the rest of my life! And what about the Briggs men who have come to this town badly injured? You saved their lives too! You help people all the time, Eli. Don't focus on this one time, it's not your fault we can only do so much." Lis didn't look up at him, just continued to stare at the ground, expression unreadable. "Eli, trust me, everyone owes you something. You've helped everyone." Nate reached out and took her hand. Lis looked up at him.

"All that doesn't change the fact that I'm powerless now! All the power I have, and I can do nothing to help..." Nate just stood there, not knowing what else he could say. Lis pulled away from him. "I should go check on them..." Nate followed Lis as she walked back to where Lisa and Mar were. Mar was combing through her mothers hair, singing her a lullaby that Lisa had often sung to coax her into sleep. Lis saw Lisa was just about to leave. Lis crossed quickly and look Lisa's hand.

"I'm sorry, Lisa. I'll protect Mar for you." Lis whispered, Lisa smiled slightly before her whole body relaxed as she breathed her last, Nate lowered his head and said a silent word for Lisa, Mar noticed and wailed to the sky. Lis gently picked up Lisa's body and carried it back to town with a wailing Mar and Nate.


	2. The Frozen Rose Alchemist part 2

Lis sat in a tree as far away from town as she could be while still watching the funeral pyre be lit. She watched the smoke from Mar's body curl up into the sky. Mar hadn't lasted long, not without Lisa. It had barely been a year. Lis had tried to protect her, to save her, but Mar had been growing up. She was 8 and foolish. She thought she knew everything and was immortal. Lis leaned about the trunk, wishing she could fade away into it. It was her fault. If she had been watching Mar more closely, Mar wouldn't have gone to play on the lake. If she weren't the towns doctor, she could have watched Mar.

"Sorry Lisa... I let you down..." Lis stared at the stars. Good thing winter was here and the trees were bare. She liked sitting as high as she could in the tree branches, looking at the stars. A crash below brought all her thoughts back to the present. She looked down at the forest floor, just in time to see a giant monster lumbering through the woods, knocking over trees. Knocking into the tree she was in. She heard her tree give a mighty snap and felt the wood falling away from her. With a scream, Lis and the tree plummeted to the ground. Lis hit the ground, feeling a couple ribs shatter and her leg snap. Grinding her teeth together, she looked for the monster, but it was gone. She looked at her left leg and nearly vomited. The bones had stabbed clear through her skin. No way in hell was she going to walk and get help. Her right leg was useless, having not had maintenance for a couple years and the force of the impact had destroyed it. _I could always crawl back to town..._ Lis thought bitterly. A sudden wave of light-headedness washed over her. She looked over at her right arm to see the damage there, realizing she couldn't feel it. A long gash ran along her vein from wrist to elbow. Blood was pouring out, soaking the ground around her. Lis cringed, and feeling the broken ribs move, cringed again. She felt no pain, not yet. Her head throbbed painfully and her vision began to swim, blackness creeping in. Lis knew if she blacked out, she'd die, but she couldn't fight it, it was coming too fast.

"DAMN...!" Lis blacked out.

"Lis! Lis! LIS!" Someone grabbed Lis roughly by the shoulders, shaking her gently. "LIS, WAKE UP! LIS!" Lis faintly heard the voice. _Oh, come on... Let me sleep..._ Lis tried to squirm away but a shooting pain coming from everywhere stopped her. "Lis? Come on, Lis, wake up." Now she recognized the voice. It was Nate. Lis opened her eyes slightly, only to be blinded by a lantern. She groaned. There was a sigh of relief. "Lis... This is going to hurt..." Nate picked her up, causing pain to flare up from her arm, leg, and chest. Her head pounded. Lis barely held in a scream, biting down on her lip so hard she tasted blood. Nate started walking, careful to avoid jarring her, back to town, talking quietly the whole time. Lis could barely make out what he was saying over the pounding in her head. Right as the got back to town, Lis blacked out again.


	3. The Frozen Rose Alchemist part 3

Waking up the next day was murder. Lis' head was pounding and her whole body was on fire. She felt like a rhino had run over her. Lis tried to push herself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain racing through her body.

"Hey, you, lay back down!" Lis looked up as Nate walked in the room with a tray of food.

"Why don't you make me?" It came out as barely a whisper, but it was still threatening.

"Eli, you're in no condition to do anything. Lay down."

"I'll just heal myself." Lis scowled at him.  
"Er- No, you won't... You can't transmute without your left arm..." Lis blinked in confusion.

"I have my arm!"

"No, you don't..." Lis looked down at her left shoulder then and made a noise.

"What did you do with my arm?!"

"We all thought it was best to take it off and make you heal, otherwise you'll do a whole bunch of crazy stuff! Besides, it needs maintenance anyway! Speaking of which, you told me you were keeping up on that!" Lis and Nate glared at each other for a moment before Nate sighed. "Whatever, just stay in bed." He placed the tray on the bedside table. "By the way, happy birthday." Lis blinked at him as he walked out of the room. _It's not my birthday... Isn't it the day after Mar died..? If so, my birthday isn't until tomorrow! Unless... No, not possible. I can't have been out for 2 days. _Lis looked at the tray on the table and sighed. Of course, Nate had brought her a present. She reached over to grab the tray only to stop, staring at her bandaged wrist. Anger surged through her. Those bandages could be used on someone who needs them! She ripped at them with her teeth, successfully ripping them off and throwing them to the floor. A long, jagged, gash ran along her wrist to her elbow. It pulsed with pain. Ignoring the protest of her ribs, she stretched upwards before grabbing the tray and putting it on her lap. Setting the present aside, Lis picked up a piece of toast. She devoured all the food on the tray, not having realized how hungry she was. Leaning back, she huffed in annoyance, picking up the present. _Damn kid, who does he think he is, giving me presents a day before my birthday!? _Pulling off the string around it, the paper started to fall away. Inside was a small box. Opening that one handed was a trick, but she got it. Inside was a pretty silver necklace in the shape of a horses head. On the back was an engraving of her name (Elisabeth Sang Hohenheim). There was also a little slip of paper in the box.

"Happy birthday El- Sorry, Lis. You're 14 today. Sorry nobody was there to find you sooner when you got hurt 2 days ago. Don't worry, you'll be better soon though. For some reason, the town is convinced the military is going to call you to Central soon, so if they do, just know we all love you and we'll be waiting for your return. Yours, always, Nate." Her heart froze. 2 days ago? Then it was her birthday... Well, shit. And what was this about the military? Fuhrer Bradley promised he'd only call the Frozen Rose Alchemist when it was absolutely necessary! It couldn't possibly be necessary. That was just impossible. Unless there was a new war being started, which seemed highly unlikely. Lis rolled her eyes. The town is probably just being paranoid about loosing their only doctor. After latching her new necklace on, Lis lay back down, felling her broken ribs and broken leg twinge in pain. With a heavy sigh, Lis fell asleep once again.


	4. The Frozen Rose Alchemist part 4

"I'm going to attach the nerves now, Elisabeth. Hold still." Lis made a face.

"Alright Pinako, just do it." Pinako grunted and pulled at the wrench, connection the nerves of her arm and causing Lis to tense.

"Now, for the leg. Elisabeth, you need to keep up on your maintenance."

"I know, I know... Just give me my leg back, please!" Pinako scowled at her.

"You remind me of one of my granddaughters friends..." Lis rolled her eyes as Pinako repeated what was now the most common phrase of hers when talking to Lis. "Hold still." Pinako ordered, preparing to attach the nerves. She quickly pulled the wrench and snapped the nerves together, causing Lis to flinch. As Pinako started to clean up, a messenger ran in.

"I have a message for Miss. Elisabeth Hohenheim! You are to report to Central at once! This order comes from King Bradley himself." Everybody in the room froze.

"Do you know why, soldier?" Lis clapped her hands together and put them to her leg, instantly healing the shattered bones. The soldier shook his head.

"No, ma'am. I am sorry. I am to bring you to Central, as soon as possible." Lis sat up.

"Alright, I'll come. Just give me a few minutes. Please wait outside soldier." The soldier saluted and marched out. "Damn military..." Nate put his hand on Lis' shoulder.

"You'll be okay, won't you?

"Of course I will be, Nate. I didn't pass the State Alchemist exam almost 4 years ago because I was weak. I passed it because I can handle myself. You have no need to worry about me." Lis grinned up at him. Pinako started to laugh.

"You sound just like my granddaughters friend when you say that!" Lis rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hush Pinako." Lis shoved herself out of the bed, stretching out her new leg and arm. "These feel great, as usual. Thanks Pinako. I'm glad you could make it in only 3 days."

"Anything for you, Elisabeth Hohenheim. My granddaughter wishes to meet you sometime, you'll have to visit us in Resembool when you finish in Central." Lis laughed then.

"Alright, I promise. I'd like to meet your granddaughter too, she sounds cool! Anyway, I must be getting ready to go..." Lis looked at Nate. "Can you help me get stuff together?"

"Sure. I'll go get your bag." Nate walked out, heading to find a bag for her.

"Elisabeth... Please be careful. I won't travel to Central. I don't like it there, so be careful with your automail and keep up on maintenance." Lis blinked at Pinako.

"I'll be careful, don't worry, Pinako."

"Alright, then I shall take my leave. Goodbye Eli, I hope to see you safe and sound in Resembool soon." Pinako left, just like that. Lis sighed and started rummaging around her room, getting stuff ready to leave. Nate came back with her large leather suitcase and started packing stuff in there.


	5. Chapter 5

"Don't worry Nate, I'll be back soon, safe and sound. When I get back, you better be able to hold your own against me!" Lis waved to him over her shoulder.

"I will be able to take you down, when you get back! I promise!" Lis laughed.

"Alright, don't disappoint me!" Just like that, Lis was in the woods, out of her tiny little village in the North, heading for Central. "Say, soldier, what's your name?"

"My name is Croix, ma'am."

"Well, Croix. It's nice to meet you. I'm Lis. Please, drop the formality, though. I didn't become a dog of the state to be called ma'am by men older than me." Croix's stiffness vanished. He walked normally and started to whistle. Immediately, Lis felt better about this trip to Central. They walked together, Croix whistling, for a long time before they reached the train station. The train was just pulling in when they got there and they hopped right on. Lis fell asleep on the ride, and when she woke, the train was pulling into Central. Stretching as she stood, Lis noticed a large, familiar man outside and slumped.

"Croix, are you leaving me?"

"I'm sorry, Miss. Lis, but I have to go elsewhere. I'm leaving you here in the hands of a very capable Alchemist." Lis huffed.

"Okay. See ya Croix." Lis grinned at him as she leaped off the train. Right into the arms of Alex Louis Armstrong.

"ELISABETH HOHENHEIM! YOU HAVE COME BACK TO CENTRAL TO SEE ME! I AM SO HAPPY!" Armstrong was hugging Lis so tight she couldn't breathe.

"Ya... Hi... Alex... Can't... Breathe...!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" He let her go then, looking her up and down. "Have you grown at all, Eli?" Her eye twitched.

"ARE YOU CALLING ME A LITTLE MIDGET BEAN THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN UNDER A MICROSCOPE?!" Armstrong burst into laughter.

"Still as sensitive as ever, huh Eli?"

"My name's not Eli. I go by Lis now."

"Eli suits you much better, but whatever you fancy, Lis." Lis' eye twitched again.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with. Take me to see King Bradley, or Mustang, or whoever I'm here to see." Armstrong headed towards the exit, Lis following.

"We have a new State Alchemist that Colonel Mustang would like you to meet when you're done with King Bradley."

"Are you kidding? Why would Mustang want me to meet a new State Alc-"

"ELI! That's you, isn't it!?" Lis spun around and nearly got tackled.

"Oh, hello Hughes." Hughes was hugging Lis so tightly she thought she'd explode.

"What are you doing back in Central?! Nobody told me you were coming back! Come home with me! My beautiful wife would love to host you!" Lis smiled and pushed away from Hughes.

"Oh, no, don't worry. I'm only here to see King Bradley, and then I'm heading back home. Thank you for the offer, though Sir." Hughes deflated.

"No, I insist! You just have to come and meet my daughter Elecia!"

"Gracia had the kid? Congratulations Hughes!" Hughes grabbed Lis again in a tight hug.

"3 years ago! My daughter is just so adorable! You must come meet her before you leave! Oh, I just know she'll love you!"

"Alright, alright! But for now, I must be seeing the Fuhrer!" Struggling out of Hughes' arms, Lis was overjoyed. When she was free, she ran for the train station exit, waving over her shoulder to Hughes. Armstrong kept pace with her.

"So, you are going to stay in Central for a while, then, Elisabeth Hohenheim?"

"Most likely. I just have to meet Hughes' kid!" Lis slowed down to a walk as the approached Central Headquarters. "Are you coming with me, Armstrong?"

"No, I am sorry Elisabeth Hohenheim. The Fuhrer asked for you, and you alone. No one else is allowed in. I must part with you here. Good luck." They had reached the gates to Central HQ. Armstrong strode off towards the main building. Lis turned and headed towards the Fuhrer's home, knowing that's where he'd like to meet with her. He always met with her in his home. His son, Selim, was always there too, although Selim understood nothing of their discussion. Knocking on the front door, Lis allowed herself a moment to wonder why she and only she was called before Selim opened the door.

"IT'S ELI!" He threw himself into her arms. Lis laughed.

"Hi Selim. By the way, I go by Lis now." Lis hugged him tightly before setting him down. "Is your father home? He asked me to come speak with him." Selim grinned.

"Oh, ya, he's been waiting for you! Let's go!" Selim grabbed Lis' hand and pulled her into the house, to the tea room where Fuhrer King Bradley was waiting. "I brought her father!"

"Oh, so you did Selim! That's a good boy." Bradley smiled at Selim and turned a penetrating gaze on Lis.

"Hello, Sir. It's nice to see you. Your son is just as great as ever." Bradley laughed.

"No need to be so formal, Lis. Come in, have some tea. Relax. Tell me how you've been before we get down to business."


	6. Chapter 6

Lis was walking to the main building, thinking about what Bradley had said. He wanted her to kill? What was he thinking? Lis was walking without watching where she was going and she walked into somebody.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going..." Lis looked up into the face of a tall man. He wore sunglasses, but that couldn't disguise the scar on his face.

"You, who are you?"

"I'm Lis Hohenheim. Who are you? Why do you care who I am?" His right hand flexed into a fist.

"The Frozen Rose Alchemist, huh? Good. You just saved me the trouble of hunting you down later! You are a state alchemist and killed my people! You have strayed from the path of God and righteousness and chosen Alchemy and for that you must die!" Lis was frozen in terror. Here was an Ishvalan right in front of her! And he was going to kill her! His right hand shot towards her head. Before Lis could even think, she moved away. His hand wrapped around her right ankle as she leaped away. A blinding flash of red lit up the darkening streets. Lis kicked him in the face and scrambled to her feet.

"Who are you?! I'm only 14, I didn't help in the Ishvalan Extermination! Why are you doing this?!" His glasses had fallen off, revealing his scar fully. It made an X over his eyes. Eyes, red as blood.

"I have no name, I left that behind the day I died and was reborn! It is my duty to my people and to my God, Ishvala, to exterminate every State Alchemist for their crimes!" Lis dodged away from him again, knowing one hit and she was dead. "You have automail for a leg. You have broken Gods code and will be punished for that as well!" He made a lunge for Lis who tripped in her haste. His right hand came down on her left side, a blinding red light erupting from his arm and shooting pain filled her side. Lis could barely register the man leaping away or the voices of many men nearby due to the pain.

"Back away from the girl and surrender yourself!" The man who attacked Lis stared at the speaker before vanishing into the shadows. "Search for him! Take him down alive!" Through the roaring in her ears, Lis recognized the voice of Colonel Roy Mustang. She heard footsteps on the ground coming towards her. "Hey, Lis, you alive still?"

"Colonel! You don't ask it like that!" Lis looked up into the face of Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang. A small smile appeared on her face, despite the amount of pain she was in. "Let's get her to the hospital, and fast. She's losing a lot of blood." Riza bent down and swung her jacket over Lis' torso and side while Mustang got ready to pick her up. Lis barely held in a scream when Mustang gently picked her up. Riza's jacket wrapped around her helped stop a bit of the blood flow, but it didn't stop it all together. Lis was fading fast. Riza and Mustang loaded Lis into a car and sped off to the hospital. They got there in record time. Lis was struggling to stay awake when Mustang pulled her out of the car and rushed her inside, finding the first doctor and having him examine Lis. All he could do was stop the blood, disinfect, and bandage her side. All the while, Lis fought the blackness creeping in on her. Once they had her in a hospital bed, though, Lis was out cold.


	7. Chapter 7

_There was a little girl. She was running through woods with a little boy, playing a game. _

"_Elisabeth! Come back here!" The boy called her. She refused to turn back. _

"_I'm going to beat you home, Nate! I'm gonna win!" She burst through the trees into a clearing which housed a small village. Home. Nate pushed through the trees behind her, panting. "I win, pay up!" _

"_Not fair, you tripped me!" _

"_That is totally fair!" The kids were laughing and smiling._

"_Not fair!" Nate shoved Elisabeth. She shoved back. Soon they were wrestling on the ground, play fighting. _

"_Quick! Find Elisabeth!" sounded from the center of the small village. The kids froze, sitting up as a lady ran towards them. _

"_Elisabeth! Elisabeth! Oh, my dear!" The lady wrapped her arms around the girl. _

"_What? What happened? Is my dad okay?" The girls voice shook with panic and fear, but she didn't act on it. _

"_I am so sorry, dear. Your dad is dead." _

Lis sat straight up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, gasping. Her side screamed in protest.

"It was just a dream... It was just a dream... It was just a dream..." She muttered over and over to herself. She heard a door open and froze. She looked around then, noticing she wasn't at home. The events of the previous day came rushing in. Lis cringed as she remembered the attack from the scarred man. Her door slid open and Colonel Roy Mustang walked in looking stern. He stopped and blinked at her.

"You're up."

"Thank you Colonel Obvious." He frowned at her.

"The nurses said you wouldn't be up for a while. I was planning to wait around till you woke up, but this is more convenient." Lis perked up. If he had to say something to her, it was probably pretty important.

"What's going on? Is this about the man who attacked me yesterday?" Mustang's exasperated face told her all she needed to know. "What do you know about him? Who is he? Why did he attack me?"

"All we know is he's an Ishvalan with a huge dislike for State Alchemists. You're not the first he attacked. Nobody else has survived, though. You're lucky I was there. He's a killer. We call him Scar, we don't have any other name for him."

"Seriously? He kills...? Why?! Why would he attack me?! I wasn't even involved in the Ishvalan war!"

"He doesn't care if you were or not, he just knows you're a dog of the military, and that's the kind of thing us dogs do, fight wars." Lis stared at Mustang.

"Well, then why are we sitting around here!? Let's go find him!" Lis pushed out of bed and nearly collapsed on the floor. Mustang jumped up and grabbed Lis around the waist right before she hit the floor, putting her back on the bed.

"You're in no condition to do anything, right now. Stay here and heal and leave it to the other dogs to find this guy." Lis looked murderous. "Speaking of the other dogs, have you met our newest State Alchemist? He's the same age as you, actually. Pretty powerful too. I think he's staying with the Hughes family. Maybe you'll get to meet him later today or tomorrow." Mustang headed towards the door. Lis thought about what he said. A new State Alchemist. Her age. Interesting. As Mustang left, Lis was formulating a plan of escape.


	8. Chapter 8

The hospital noticed the absence almost immediately, but thankfully, Lis was pretty far away when all hell broke loose. Using alchemy, she had died her gold hair black, but there had been nothing she could do about the hole in her side. She limped rapidly through the alleys of Central. Her senses were working overtime, figuring out what different smells were, if there was anybody around, and most of all, if Scar was around. Lis did not want to encounter Scar right now. She heard a person running towards her. Lis flattened against the wall, hidden in shadow. When the person appeared, she shot alchemy through the ground and tripped him. The shout of surprise did not belong to Scar. Lis moved out of the shadows, prepared to attack if need be. A kid knelt on the ground, shaking his head. There was a large suit of armor standing behind him.

"Brother! Are you okay!?" The voice that came from the armor was echoing. It was the voice of a young boy, probably about 13.

"Ya, ya, I'm fine Al." The kid who tripped over Lis' trap stood up. He was short, shorter than Lis. He saw Lis and exploded. Al, the armored guy, had to hold his brother back as he shouted at Lis. Lis couldn't help being amused. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, smirking slightly.

"Al, was it?" Both guys froze. "What's with the body? You're younger, but you're taller than that," she motioned to the older brother who twitched in anger, "and your voice echos more than it should in that armor."

"My name is Ed, by the way." Ed was sulking, the anger having faded when nobody paid any attention.

"Um, well, I'm just thin! That's all! So there's more space in here!" Lis frowned slightly. Ed made a face like it was his plan.

"Ya, Al's the thin guy, he's like a sti- HEY!" Lis had quickly crossed to Al and pulled his helmet off, holding her self up on his chest plate with one hand, peering inside.

"Cool! This is really advanced alchemy! Who did it?" Lis looked around as if trying to find the alchemist who could have attached Al's soul to a suit of armor.

"I did! It was me, Edward Elric!" Lis jumped away from Al and studied Ed.

"Where have I heard that name before...?"

"I was just named a State Alchemist, that's probably how! I'm famous!"

"Ah! You're the kid Mustang told me about!" Ed's jaw dropped open. "I'm Elisabeth, or Lis. I'm the Frozen Rose Alchemist." Al gasped. Ed looked annoyed.

"Never heard of you."

"Ya, you wouldn't. The military doesn't like to admit they let a 10 year old join up." Ed's jaw dropped. "Oh well, it suits me just fine... Hey, we should not linger in an alley... There's a guy out killing State Alchemists. Let's go to Hughes' place."  
"You know Hughes?"

"Who DOESN'T know Hughes? He looked after me when I first joined up. Lis put her hands on her hips and cocked them. "Why does it matter to you?"

"It doesn't..." Ed grumbled.

"Good, then let's go before we get attacked." Lis headed off in the direction of the Hughes house. Al followed willing, glancing back.

"Come on Brother, we'll stay with the Hughes' tonight and head back East tomorrow!" Ed huffed in annoyance and ran after them.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi, Ma-" Hughes nearly tackled Lis as he opened the door.

"You actually came! I knew you would! My Elecia is too cute to resist!" Lis peeled herself away from Hughes, drawing in great breathes. "Oh, I see you met the Elric brothers already, too. Great! Come in, all of you!" Hughes stood back, allowing them entry into the house. Gracia stood by, smiling at Lis and the Elric brothers as they walked in.

"Hello you three. It's nice to see you again. Lis, it's great to see you. But, what on Earth have you done to your hair?" Lis' hands shot to her head. She grabbed a handful of her waist length hair and looked at it, sighing as she realized she still had it dyed.

"I -uh- had to get out of the hospital a little ahead of schedule, so I just turned my hair black. Do you have a bowl of water I can borrow? I'll get this dye right out." Gracia smiled and went off to find a bowl. Ed was eyeing Lis.

"So, what color is your hair normally." Lis looked at him thoughtfully.

"The same color as yours, actually." Her gold eyes sparkled gently with the hint of a smile. "But it looks far better on me." E's eye twitched. Al grabbed him again, holding him back from beating up on Lis who just laughed. Hughes stood watching them, smiling slightly. Gracia came back in with a small glass bowl of clear water. Lis took it with a polite nod and set it on the table. Clapping her hands, she swung the ends of her hair into the water. She put her hands on her hair. Everyone watched in fascination as the black drained out of Lis' hair into the bowl, turning the water black. When the black had drained out, she dragged the 4 inches of now gold hair that was in the bowl out and let her hair hang while she fixed her bangs. The way she wore her bangs, they fell over and hid her right eye. A beansprout like the one Ed wears sprang out of her bangs. Lis frowned up at it before noticing nobody was moving, they were all staring at her.

"What? Did I mess up? Is there a spot of black in my hair?" Lis was running her hands through her hair nervously. Hughes cleared his throat.

"No, you didn't mess up... Ed, Lis, go look in a mirror." Ed glanced at him and headed to the mirror. Lis made a face and walked over beside Ed, looking skeptical. Lis gaped at their reflections. They looked exactly the same, except hair style differed a little.

"Wha-...? I... You... Look... What? This isn't possible." Lis shook her head and turned away. Ed grabbed her wrist.

"What's your last name?"

"Hohenheim. My name is Elisabeth Hohenheim." Lis twisted her arm and dislodged Ed's hand, turning and continuing away, straight for the door. "I'm sorry to be a bother Gracia, Maes. I'll just be leaving now. I should be heading back up North." Nobody made a move to stop her. Ed and Al were staring at each other, as if silently talking. Yanking the door open, Lis left. As soon as she was out of the building, she ran. Just ran. Moving felt good and helped clear Lis' mind. Too bad she ran the wrong way, though. She ran away from the station. Finally, Lis stopped running, panting. Slowly, she realized not only did she have no idea where she was, but her side was bleeding again. It throbbed painfully and she fell to her knees, clutching her side, and wheezing. It was the middle of the night, or else Lis would have yelled for help. Only crazy people would be out in the dark of the night. Lis walked towards an alley, intent on finding a place to sleep. As she reached the alley, she heard footsteps pounding down the streets on both sides of her. Lis shrank into the shadows, staring through the blackness to figure out who was running through the street. Who she saw surprised her. Mustang was running down the street, looking left and right. He stopped close to the alley Lis was hiding in.

"Eli, where are you?! Eli, come out!" With the footsteps on her left silenced as Mustang stood there, looking around, catching his breath, Lis could listen to the footsteps on her right. They sounded like an empty suit of armor. Alphonse. Lis preferred Mustang to Al. She slid out of the alley.

"Roy... What are you doing out here...?" Mustang spun around, looking incredibly relieved.

"Looking for you." He crossed the road to stand beside her, noticing the growing red blotch on her side. "You need to go back to the hospital Eli."

"No I don't..." Lis remembered something Mustang had told her. "You knew Ed looked like me. What else did you know? What else did you not tell me?!"  
"Eli..."  
"My name is Lis." Footsteps sounded behind her.

"I like you as an Eli much better." Ed walked towards Mustang and Eli, having jumped down from the rooftops when he heard them yelling. Al came running through the alley then, halting beside Ed. Lis looked at them.

"My name is Lis, not Eli."

"I agree with Brother, Eli suits you much better than Lis." She narrowed her eyes at Al.

"Why should you care, either way?" Ed looked pissed.

"BECAUSE IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY RELATED TO US, WE'RE GONNA CALL YOU ELI!" Mustang folded his arms over his chest and stared between Ed and Lis.

"If I am related to you, it won't matter! I have a family up North! I don't need you!" Lis shoved past Ed, storming off in a rage. Mustang rolled his eyes.

"Even if you have family up North, you need allies in Central right now, so just go back to Hughes

place and stay there till you can back up North." Lis just kept walking, but Mustang knew she was listening. "Or come to my place. I have an extra bed, if you'd like." Lis stopped then.

"I'm going back North tomorrow, so I guess staying at your place for the night wouldn't be bad..."

"One condition, you go back to the hospital and get your wound checked out." Lis stiffened, frowning into the night.

"And if I don't do that?"

"We'll take you in by force!" Mustang glanced at Ed, surprised by his outburst. Lis spun around, a fire in her eyes.

"How, exactly, will YOU force me to do anything?!"

"With Alchemy." Ed looked so determined. Mustang started laughing. "What's so funny?!"

"Not even you, Fullmetal, can beat the Frozen Rose Alchemist! There's a reason she was made a State Alchemist when she was 10!" Lis couldn't help but grin at Ed's look of rage.

"Al and I can take her!" Al put his hands up.

"Brother, I'd rather not do anything to her..."

"Smart kid. Say, Ed, aren't you the older sibling? Shouldn't you be the smarter one of the two?" Lis put her hands on her hips and cocked them, arching an eyebrow. Ed scowled at her.

"I am the smarter. Al's just too nice on people like you." Lis' eyes ignited.

"And what's THAT supposed to mean?!"

"That you're weak and a girl!"

"YOU WANNA BET ON HOW WEAK I AM!?" Lis clapped her hands together, ready to blast Ed into the sky when a whip of flame shot between them.

"That's enough you two! Ed, Al, go back to Hughes' for the night, I'll handle Eli. Then, you two will go to Leor and Eli can go back North, to her home. Understood?" Lis crossed her arms over her chest, more annoyed with him calling her Eli than anything. Ed made a face.

"Fine." Ed spun around. "Come on Al. Let's go find Hughes." They started walking away.

"Wait. Hughes is out here, tonight?" Ed glanced over his shoulder.

"Ya, he wanted to help find you." Lis swore. "What?"  
"The man that out me in the hospital today is probably still out there, and he doesn't know Hughes isn't an Alchemist!" Ed's eyes widened.

"Are you kidding me?! You're telling us this now?!"  
"I didn't have time to explain earlier!" She started walking towards Ed. Mustang looked alarmed suddenly, staring off in the direction they had come. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go find Hughes!" A sudden wave of light-headedness swept over Lis and her steps faltered. Ed just barely managed to grab her and hold her up.

"You're not finding anybody in your condition." He looked at Al, who nodded in response to an unspoken question. "Come on, they'll find him. For now, let's get you fixed." Lis half glared at him.

"I'm fine..." She tried to push away from Ed, only to nearly fall over again. Her vision was edged by a blackness that was creeping in.

"Ya, and I'm a duck. I'm taking you in. Mustang, Al, you two find Hughes. I'm taking Eli to the hospital." Al nodded and headed off, Mustang following.

"Be careful you two. Stay on your guard." Mustang shot over his shoulder before sliding into a dark alley with Al to look for Hughes. Ed helped Lis walk, heading towards the hospital.

"So, you're from up North? I'm from the East. Never been up North. Have you ever been out East?"

"I must have lived there for a little bit if we're related as everyone believes... Not that I remember it..."

"Oh, right... You should come out East and visit sometime. Al and I'll come up North and visit you sometime, too. What's your family like?"

"I... Don't really have one... Anymore... My adoptive mother died when I was 3... My adoptive father died when I was 7... I have a good friend, though... Nate. Nathaniel is his actual name... Everyone calls him Nate... He's really sweet... He's looked out for me and been there for me since we were 3. His mother was friends with mine, so we hung out a lot, especially after my mother passed..."

"Oh... I'm sorry... Al and I lost our mother too... I was 5. Our dad left us... He must have left us to watch over you, you have his name."  
"What, his name was Elisabeth?" Ed gave a small grin to that lame humor.

"No. Hohenheim. His name is Hohenheim." Lis blinked.

"That explains why my name was different than my parents... They never got to explain anything to me, other than that I wasn't biologically theirs..." They were getting closer to the hospital.

"My mother, Trisha Elric, never told Al and I about a sister. Neither did Hohenheim. But, I guess I can't expect an explanation from someone who never came home..." They reached the front door to the hospital where they were greeted by an anxious nurse.

"Elisabeth Elric! Where have you been?! No matter, come here, we'll get you fixed up." The nurse helped Lis stand, relieving Ed of her weight. Lis waved to Ed as the nurse helped her away. Ed watched them for a second before heading off to find Al, hoping they'd found Hughes already.


End file.
